


Spin the Bottle

by tIna_is_gae



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Boys Kissing, Closeted Character, Closeted Richie Tozier, Cute, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Rights, Long, M/M, Mentioned Sonia Kaspbrak, Movie: IT (2017), Original Character(s), Reddie Exchange 2019, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Mess, Slurs, Sonia Kaspbrak Being Terrible, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Spin the Bottle, Swearing, Teenage Losers Club (IT), The Losers Club (IT) All Appear, Well-Written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22153987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tIna_is_gae/pseuds/tIna_is_gae
Summary: The Loser's club is invited to Bill's house for a party, including three female guests. The girls suggest spin the bottle, much to Richie's dismay of the possibility of kissing a girl. But, things don't go exactly the way he thought they'd be. In fact, they turn out much better that he could've ever imagined.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier, Bill Denbrough/Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 3
Kudos: 165





	Spin the Bottle

Eddie has no idea how he ended up here. Stuck in a claustrophobic room with five of his best friends and three other girls, all in a circle. The mouth of a green Sprite bottle that he spun pointing at the one and only Richie "Trashmouth" Tozier. Eddie's entire body was trembling. He didn't know whether it was from excitement or fear. His mind was completely blank, except for a small, daring voice screaming, "Do it, you know you want to, so do it!"

[Three hours ago]

Richie sighed, standing on Bill's doorstep, weighing the options. He could: ring the doorbell, get invited inside, party for a little while with his friends and three girls. Then, one of the girls would suggest they play spin the bottle. So they would, all nine of them organized in an irregular circle. Stan wouldn't want to play. One of the girls would shout "I'll go first!" and spin the bottle gently. It would dance around lazily before landing on Richie. The girl would bite her lip in a raging spike of hormones. She would grab Richie by the hand and lead him into the closet like a prostitute. She'd close the door softly and get real close, her breath on his chin. Richie would try not to scream, the utter terror he'd feel almost bringing him to tears. The girl would mistake his out-of-character silence as a sign of lust. She'd get closer, then lurch towards him and plant her lips on his. Richie would try not to vomit as he's knocked against a wall. He wants to push her off, oh god he wants to. He wants to scream and cry and run away. He wants to run to his house, forgetting his bike at Bill's house. Oh, he'd make a huge scene. Everyone would be frightened and confused, especially the girl. She'd sit in that closet alone, wondering what she did wrong. Richie would want to apologize, but he couldn't her why he didn't want to kiss her. No, he couldn't tell anybody.  
But he really wants to push her off. He knows he can't, so he doesn't. He just stands there and suffers. Eventually the girl opens her eyes real slow, seductively. "Did you enjoy that?" She asks. "Y-yeah, it was great." Richie finally piped, his voice sounding off. When the girl turns to open the door, Richie wipes his mouth the best that he can, ignoring the bile rising in his throat. The girl then scrambles back to her spot, giggling and whispering to her friends. He would crawl back to his spot, a visible look of disgust on his face, and try not to scream.

Or, he could get back on his bike, pedal home, make some popcorn, watch TV, and pretend like he didn't flake out. Later Bill would call to ask why he wasn't there, and Richie would tell him. "Well, you see, Big Bill, I chickened out. I couldn't bear the thought of kissing a girl, because I'm really gay. Yep, no jokes, no gimmicks, Richie Tozier is a big ol' queer! How about it, Bill?" Then he'd slam the phone in it's cradle, heart hammering, and get back to watching ALF. That damn alien just cracked him up. 

But Richie knew he couldn't do that. He'd much rather die than tell someone his secret. There was also the other thing he was afraid of telling the Losers about. And he was afraid that if his sexuality got out, he wouldn't be able to keep the other thing a secret for much longer either. So, he rang the doorbell. He waited for Bill to open the door and joined him inside with the others, a sense of uncertainty creeping into his gut. He tried his best to ignore it.

[One hour later] 

Eddie dropped his bike in the grass on the side of Bill's house, where all the other Loser's bikes were. He climbed up the front steps, fanny pack bouncing on his leg with each step. Hands shaking, he rang the doorbell. To say that Eddie was nervous about attending his first party would be an understatement. He had no idea what to expect or how to prepare, so he brought his pills, his aspirator, and a Mac and Cheese dish. The Mac and Cheese was Sonia's idea. She still hated the Losers, but she'd be damned if her son showed up without some prepared food. At least he would be able to get a decent meal. So Eddie came all this way lugging a lukewarm Mac and Cheese dish, trying his best to balance it on his handlebars. He exhaled a wheeze of relief after reaching Bill's house, finally managing to get one hand on his aspirator and plug it into his mouth.

Bill opened the door with a grin on his face, turned towards someone in the house. It was the first time Eddie had seen Bill smile since they beat Pennywise. He faced Eddie and his smile grew, then turned to slight confusion when he saw the Mac and Cheese. "E-E-Eddie, you di-didn't have to b-b-bring fo-od y'know," Before he could continue, Eddie interrupted him. "I know," he said casually, the dish balanced on one hip, "It was my Mom's idea." Richie bounded up to the front door, his tall, thin figure blocking out the rest of the space in the doorway. Eddie's heart fluttered when he saw him. His glasses were slightly crooked, which he fixed. Eddie always loved it when Richie fixed his glasses. He didn't exactly know why. 

"Hey, Ed's! Good idea, showing up fashionably late. Watcha got there, Mac and Cheese?" Eddie blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to show up so late. It took a while to get here." He cursed himself. Late to his very first party! Maybe next time he wouldn't have to juggle a Macaroni dish on his way over. "N-No bi-biggie, we were ju-just getting s-started." Bill made his way into the living room, Eddie tailing behind. Richie caught him in the door. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Ed's. Besides, Mac and Cheese is my second favorite food." Eddie cocked his head, confused. "What's your first favorite food?" Richie gave him a wayward smile. "You, Eddie Spaghetti!" He poked Eddie's arm. Eddie scowled, although strangely flattered. "Shut up, Richie, how long has it been since your last joke about my mother?" Richie howled with laughter, then pretended to check his watch. Eddie rolled his eyes and made his way into the living room, still holding the Macaroni dish. When he got there he froze. He knew there was going to be some twist, but this was just plain crazy. _Really Bill, girls?! _Eddie thought, barely able to believe his eyes. There on the couch sat Emily Bright, Harper Bowen, and Betty Porter. The three girls were talking and laughing with Beverly on the couch, acting like they belonged there. Eddie had no problem with girls. Hell, he loved Beverly, but three complete strangers was too many. He was still standing in shock when Richie came up behind him, reading his thoughts. "Yeah, I don't like them either, I don't know why Bill invited them." Eddie turned to Richie, whose face was inches away from his. _I could kiss him right now if I wanted to. _Something in Eddie said. He ignored it, cursing himself for blushing. "Did you know they were coming?" He asked Richie. "Oh, yeah," Richie said, turning away from Eddie and leaning against a wall. "I told Bill it was a bad idea but he said it was fine. I guess he feels sorry for Ben." Richie said the last part with no humor in his voice. Eddie could clearly tell he was bothered by the girls being here. Richie was slumped against the wall, his eyes easy to read due to the magnified lenses. It was a lot more than the girls not belonging here. It was something else, something that was bothering him more than some surprise guests. Eddie sighed. He hated seeing Richie that way, troubled and upset. He wished he could say something, anything, to make him feel better, but he had no idea what to say.____

_____ _

Eddie turned towards the living room entrance again. The group was playing some strange hybrid of cards and Twister. Mike's left hand was on a yellow spot, his right foot on a red spot. One of the girls pulled an ace of spades and he maneuvered his left foot onto a green spot, laughing his boisterous, comforting laugh. The girls broke out into a raucous chorus of giggles when Mike fell over. Eddie didn't want to move. He liked watching the others having fun, just standing here alone with Richie was enough. He felt Richie's eyes on him and he turned to face him. Richie gave him an amused smile, which Eddie returned. _God, he's cute. _Richie's eyes darted to the others, who were now watching Ben attempt Twist-Cards. "Fools." Richie said, which made Eddie erupt with giggles. "C'mon, let's go put that Mac away. Your little noodle arms must be exhausted!"__

_______ _ _ _

Eddie followed Richie into the kitchen, where he showed Eddie where to put the Mac and Cheese. "Just plop it on the counter, Bill'll deal with it later." Eddie frowned. "That's not what you do when you come into someone else's house." "Then what do you do, Great Master of coming into other people's houses?" Eddie rolled his eyes. "You put it in the fridge so it's not in the way." Richie scoffed. "No you don't, you put it on the counter so that they can come in and put it wherever the hell they want!" "No, they're just gonna put it in the fridge anyways, so it's better to do it for them!" Eddie argued. "But how do you know they're not gonna heat it up?" Richie counter-argued. Eddie was about to reply when Stanley called them from the living room. They left it on the counter, just as Richie had said. "Asshole." Eddie muttered, walking into the living room, Richie following him. "Are you two done with your domestic argument?" Stanley remarked. He was sitting in an armchair and was spectating the Twist-Cards game, waiting for his turn. Emily, Harper, and Betty had turned to face them, and Eddie realized with embarrassment that they had heard everything. Eddie sat down quietly on the couch, while Richie sat on the floor on the other side of the room. Eddie kind of missed being close to Richie, but he was also embarrassed to be near him. Harper leaned over to Beverly. "Do they always argue like this?" Beverly sighed "You get used to it after a while." Harper giggled. Eddie blushed and sank into the couch cushions, his small body consumed by the cotton fabric. He averted his gaze onto the game, which Bill was apparently very good at.

_______ _ _ _

Time passed, and Richie eventually returned to his old, boisterous self again. He didn't seem to mind the girls that much, granted he wasn't paying any attention to them at all. Some of them tried flirting with him, but he always ruined the mood by doing an impression or making a joke. Why they wanted to be with him, he had no idea. He didn't feel bad about dodging their blows, though, because it always gave them a chuckle. But whenever a girl got close to him, he felt as if someone was watching. Usually it was Eddie, who'd quickly look away when Richie caught him staring. Sometimes it was Ben. _Probably trying to learn how to talk to girls. Well, he won't get much help from me. Poor guy thinks he's looking at Tom Cruise. _Richie snorted at the thought.__

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Eventually the girls got bored of Twist-Cards (and their attempts, which is probably why they suggested the next activity) and so Emily recommended they play Spin the Bottle. Richie sighed. _I fucking knew it. Here we fucking go. _He snuck a glance at Eddie, who looked as terrified as Richie felt. _Poor kid's afraid he's gonna get a boner when Betty gets within three feet of him. _Emily stood up and told everyone to get in a circle. Just as Richie thought, Stan said he'd rather not play. Emily said that was fine, "But no more frosted flakes, got it? Nine's perfect." So, Richie scooted next to Ben into a circle. Bill pushed back the armchair and the coffee table to make more room. Stanley sat on the couch and began using the cards to play Solitaire. _Lucky son of a bitch. _______

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Bill went rifling through his recycling and came back with a lime green soda bottle. Richie felt his hands grow cold _Here we go, we're doing this. No turning back now. _After he set it down in the middle and returned to his spot on the floor, he turned to Emily. "Yuh-you c-c-c-can tuh-tell them the r-ruh-rules, E-Emily. " Emily smiled and stood up again. "Okay everyone, we're playing the "seven minutes in heaven" version, so the rules are a little different. We'll take turns going in a circle, one person spins the bottle, whoever it lands on, they have to spend seven minutes in a closet with, completely alone. If a boy spins a bottle and it lands on a boy, the rules still apply. Same with two girls. Got it?" Everyone nodded their heads. Richie felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Emily sat back down. "I'll go first." She spinned the bottle aggressively, turning it into a blurry green circle. After a few moments that felt like forever, the bottle landed on Beverly. She and Emily went into the closet and shut the door. Richie could hear tiny voices, like mice were in the walls. A few times there was a large sound as the girls laughed at something. Richie felt slightly self-conscious. _Wonder what they're talking about in there. I hope it's not me. Beverly would never talk shit about me, right? _Richie reassured himself. Yeah, he and Beverly were good friends. Besides, she wasn't the gossipy type. Bill was looking at his watch, counting down the minutes. "Time!" He shouted, then went to open the door. Emily and Bev came spilling out, laughing. "W-What were y-y-you guys t-talking about i-in th-ere?" Bill asked amusedly. "Oh nothing, just girl stuff." Emily giggled. She and Bev returned to their spots. Next was Mike, who got Betty. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, Richie assumed, but the two were giggling so much nothing else happened. Then it was Ben, who got Eddie. The two were tossing around a washcloth when Bill opened the door. Then it was Bev. She reached over and spun the bottle with two fingers. The bottle rotated, searching for its next victim. Turns out it was Richie. He and Bev went into the closet, which was dark. She reached up and pulled a chain that turned on a bare lightbulb. "Let there be light." Richie commented, which earned a soft giggle from her. Bill closed the door and Bev leaned on a wall. Richie sat on a small pile of towels. For about thirty seconds, they didn't talk. Richie figured he should bring up a topic, but the only thing on his mind was Eddie. _Then talk about Eddie. _He thought. _What am I supposed to do? Say "Hey Bev, I'm gay, for Eddie! By the way, I love your necklace! Is that new?"  
Richie shuddered at the thought of spilling something so secretive to his friend.  
_But Bev isn't just your friend, she's closer than that. Besides, she'd never rat you out like that. So quit being a pussy and just tell her! _Richie figured that hell, he couldn't keep it from her forever. Besides, he felt he needed to tell somebody or risk exploding. So, he did. "Bev, I need to tell you something." He felt his heart pounding in his ears as Bev looked at him, almost surprised. "Sure Richie, anything." Her smile was comforting, and Richie was tempted to spill everything on his mind. He looked her in the eyes, which were slightly confused and asked _"What's going on?" _Almost as if they were frightened. And Richie supposed she was a bit frightened. It was out of character for him to be so close and sincere, but I guess being trapped in a closet with one other person did that to you. "Well, there's this person I like- who's at the party, by the way- and I don't know what to do. I mean, should I tell them? Should I not tell them?" Richie felt his teeth chatter. Richie closed his eyes and listened to the electric buzzing of the light bulb. Beverly was silent for a while. "Well, who is it? Is it Emily?" Richie opened his eyes again. He started picking at his shoelace. "It's uh…" Richie was finding it incredibly hard to breathe. "It's a guy."  
"Oh." Bev sounded like she had been kicked in the stomach. "That's fine. That's…" She was silent. Ten pounds had been lifted off of Richie's chest. He had told her. She was cool with it. Bev spoke again. "I guess my best advice is to go for it. I mean, you never know how the other person feels until you shoot your shot." Richie sighed. "But Bev, I can't risk-" Beverly interrupted him. "Richie, you only have one life, and if you don't tell him you'll never know how he feels." Richie stood. He was still nervous, but felt a little bit better. He smiled. "I love you, Beverly." Beverly flashed her teeth. "Love you too, Tozier."  
Just then Bill whipped open the door. Betty was standing behind him. "Time's up, lovebirds!" She shouted, "Just kidding!" She laughed and cleared space for Richie and Bev to get out. Richie sat down across from Beverly, who gave him an encouraging smile. He smiled back.  
Next was Eddie. He stood on his knees and spun the bottle with a shaking hand. The bottle spinned with strange, jerking movements. Richie watched it with terrifying anxiety, wishing it would land on him. Seven minutes was all he would need. The bottle slowed, turning and turning. Finally the bottle stopped, pointing dead center to Richie's crossed legs. Richie couldn't believe it. He wanted to dance and shout, "This is it! It's showtime! Here we go, no turning back now!" But he didn't. He sat, star-struck, waiting for someone to make a move. He sneaked a glance at Eddie, who looked like he would turn to dust if someone tapped him on the shoulder. Eddie met his gaze, and for a moment they just sat there, exchanging emotions like baseball cards. Eventually Harper piped up. "You guys, it isn't a staring contest, you go into a closet for seven minutes." Ben emitted a small chortle at this remark. The comment made Eddie break his concentration, and he went into the closet. Richie got up slowly, watching him disappear into the closet's depths. _Now or never _He kept telling himself, repeating it until it drove him crazy. Richie made his way to the closet, feeling eight pairs of eyes observe him. Even Stan had stopped playing Solitaire for a brief moment to watch.  
The light was still on when Richie got in. He felt a sense of familiarity as he looked at the dented pile of towels he had been sitting on. This time, Richie leaned against Bev's wall. Eddie leaned on the other. They stood that way, staring at each other in disbelief, when Bill closed the door.  
After what felt like forever, Richie cleared his throat. It's now or never. Eddie beat him to it, though. "Pretty cramped in here, and there's no doorknob on this side. That's a huge safety hazard. I mean, who even makes a door with only one knob? It's not-" "Eddie." Richie said with finality. Eddie turned to him, surprised at how serious Richie looked. _____________

_________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Eddie didn't really mind the closet that much. It was simply instinct to rant about all the dangerous things in his surroundings. But when Eddie stopped to breathe for a moment, he smelled warm linen and… Richie. It wasn't too bad that Richie was here, but he also smelled adrenaline. Anxiety. He could tell that there was something Richie was nervous about. That scared him. Richie was never nervous. And if he was, he tried not to show it. He concealed it with jokes and pretended to laugh off whatever was bothering him. He never let himself be vulnerable, usually. There were a few times when Eddie was alone with him, and Richie would talk about something that bothered him. The clown, for instance. Bill's clown. Their clown. Richie was obviously scared about killing the damn thing, but that was a year ago. The clown was as good as dead, and Eddie hoped Richie didn't wake up sweating in his bed, reliving what happened, like Eddie did. He hoped Richie didn't sometimes stare at nothing, remembering the way Pennywise laughed, or the dingy air of the Neibolt house, like Eddie did.  
Richie looked at him again. Eddie blushed. He hadn't even realized Richie was going to speak. What Richie was going to talk about, Eddie had no idea. So he stayed quiet, like a curious student captivated in the teacher's lesson. "Eddie… I need to tell you something." Eddie's heart pounded, millions of thoughts flying through his head. Eddie, _I'm moving, _or _I know how you feel about me, and I just want to say that I don't feel the same, I'm sorry. _That one scared him the most. He thought of interrupting Richie again but decided against it. And so Richie continued.  
"Eddie, I like you… as more than friends." Richie looked about ready to explode. His face was redder than a tomato, and his arms were shaking. Eddie felt about ready to explode too. He didn't know what to say. His brain was currently in shock mode, unable to fathom this. Eddie could pass middle school math, but this was too much. He felt short-circuited. _This has got to be a joke, he's pulling your leg. Don't fall for it, Eddie. _  
"This isn't funny, Richie." Eddie said defensively. He'd be damned if he let himself be duped by Trashmouth Tozier. Richie looked mortified. "Eddie, I'm not joking." Eddie short-circuited again. He managed to choke out a "Well then." Before growing silent. His mind was pacing. What to do, what to do. Suddenly he heard a ping.  
He knew exactly what to do.  
In a flash, he closed the space between him and Richie, looped his arms around his neck and kissed him gently. When they separated, Richie was breathless. "I like you too, dumbass." Richie giggled, then hugged Eddie on the hips and pulled him in for another, stronger kiss. Eddie felt light-headed, but in a good way. Richie's lips were surprisingly soft and he tasted warm. Eddie never wanted to separate again, but knew he had to come up for air. When they parted, Richie licked his lips. "Mmm, Eddie Spaghetti." Eddie smiled. "Shut up, asshole. I just kissed you, for God's sake." Richie was grinning like an idiot. He kissed Eddie on the forehead gently, then made another move for his mouth.  
Then the door opened.  
Eddie had just enough time to push himself away and rebound on the other wall when Bill appeared where the door had once been. He stood there smugly. He surveyed the room. "S-so what'd yuh-you t-t-two d-do ih-ih-in here?" Eddie saw everyone else still in a circle, craning their necks to look inside. He looked back at Richie, who was blushing furiously. Eddie assumed he was blushing too. "Oh, nothing," Richie said casually. "Doing an impression of you and Bev." Eddie broke out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Bill looked offended. "B-beep b-b-beep Ri-Richie." He said while slugging Richie on the arm. Richie didn't seem to mind, he was still grinning like an idiot. The two went back to their spots, where they eyed each other. Eddie kept replaying the kisses in his head, getting more and more excited each time. It made him feel good.  
After a few more spins, Eddie went into the kitchen to est the Mac and Cheese. Richie followed him. Eddie got two forks and they sat across from each other at the table, sharing the Mac and Cheese like a lover's sundae. Eddie fed Richie a bite off of his fork.  
"I love you, Tozier."  
Richie smiled. This party was so much better than he thought it was going to be.  
"I love you too, Eds."______

_______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this, follow me on Tumblr at toina-is-gay !


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